


Long Commute

by ProblematicPines



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bede (Mentioned), Could be read as either romantic or platonic - Freeform, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gloria (Mentioned), Hurt/Comfort, Leon (Mentioned) - Freeform, Light Angst, M/M, Marnie (Mentioned) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21526813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProblematicPines/pseuds/ProblematicPines
Summary: To Victor’s surprise, Hop took a seat; not across from him, like how they had done several times before, but right beside him. Since Victor had snagged the window seat, he was effectively cornered, and there was no way he could leave without making a scene.And honestly, that was the least either of them needed. So he just swallowed whatever trepidations he had about Hop being so welcoming and nonchalant towards him, and tried focusing on Hop’s apparent passiveness.“Besides,” Hop continued as he slung his backpack off and carelessly dropped it on the floor by his feet. “I wanted to get a chance to speak with ya.”“Uh oh.”“About the Championships.”“Double uh-oh.”Victor would honestly prefer seeing Bede right now, and that guy was a Class A pompous douche. At least with Bede he knew what the guy was about. Hop, on the other hand…
Relationships: Hop/Masaru | Victor
Comments: 8
Kudos: 428





	Long Commute

All Victor wanted to do was just collapse into his bed and pass out for the next week, but unfortunately for him, he still had a long train ride to endure before he could do such a thing. His whole body ached all over; weeks upon weeks of training, battling and toughing out the harsh Galarian elements had finally caught up to the young Pokemon trainer, and he was paying dearly for his overzealousness.

Bruised, baggy-eyed and yearning for a good night’s rest at home, Victor waited impatiently in the train station just outside of Wyndon. It was late in the afternoon, so other commuters had either already made their way home on other trains or escorted by the Corviknight Taxi service. Victor wished he could take the same transport, but unfortunately for him, the service was fully booked, so the much-slower train was his best alternative.

It seemed like ages before the last train departing from Wyndon rolled into the station, exhaling a billowing cloud of thick steam with a rushing hiss of exhaust. Victor grimaced at the rush of warm air, contrasting with the frigid chill of the snowy route outside. But, relieved at the sight of the train that would take him all the way back to the small familiarities of his hometown of Postwick, he boarded.

Walking was a bit of a strenuous effort, since every step made his tired bones protest. But Victor forced his legs to carry him woozily into a carriage that seemed totally desolate. He was a little surprised by the complete lack of anybody else in there with him; he’d expected at least someone. Maybe a sleepy businessman nodding off in one of the seats, or another Gym challenger that had made it all the way to the Championships, just to get outdone at the last hurdle.

Regardless, Victor was grateful for the solitude.

The conductor announced over the crackly tannoy that this would be the last train departing from Wyndon for the day, and that made Victor feel a little saddened. He didn’t know when he would be back in Wyndon. Even though it was a huge and bustling city, full of so many different people and Pokemon, nothing really compared to the homeliness of Postwick.

Taking a seat near the back of the carriage, Victor slid his backpack into the compartment over his head and momentarily debated on letting out one of his Pokemon, so that he wouldn’t feel so lonely on the journey back home. Just as he was about to close one white-knuckled hand around a glimmering Pokeball, a voice called his name.

“Victor! Hey!”

Looking up, Victor saw that it was Hop, and he immediately felt on edge.

Ever since Victor had beat Hop in the semi-finals of the Championship earlier that day, he’d been dreading the next time he’d have to see his friend. The way Hop’s look of determination and confidence had withered away into a sorrowful pout after Victor’s Toxtricity had taken down Hop’s Dubwool had made the young Trainer feel immensely guilty. Hop had his heart and mind set on completing the Gym Tournament, so that he could prove to be more than just the Champion’s little brother. Stepping out of Leon’s shadow was the whole reason why Hop had departed from Postwick with Victor all those weeks ago, and Victor hated seeing his friend’s dreams get crushed right before his eyes.

By his own hand, no less.

He wouldn’t be surprised if Hop was only acting kindly out of obligation, and not because he actually held any genuine compassion for his friend. If it had been the other way around, Victor certainly wouldn’t be as welcoming.

“Hop?” Victor inquired. “I thought…” He paused, biting his lip. “I thought you were gonna be staying in Wyndon a bit longer.”

Hop shook his head as he set off down the carriage towards Victor; he looked just as exhausted as Victor felt, if the dark rings round his eyes were anything to go by. There was also an unmistakable sullenness around him, even though Hop was smiling from ear to ear, like he usually did.

“Nah, Lee told me to go ‘ome and rest for now,” Hop explained, voice croaky. 

To Victor’s surprise, Hop took a seat; not across from him, like how they had done several times before, but right beside him. Since Victor had snagged the window seat, he was effectively cornered, and there was no way he could leave without making a scene. 

And honestly, that was the least either of them needed. So he just swallowed whatever trepidations he had about Hop being so welcoming and nonchalant towards him, and tried focusing on Hop’s apparent passiveness.

“Besides,” Hop continued as he slung his backpack off and carelessly dropped it on the floor by his feet. “I wanted to get a chance to speak with ya.”

_“Uh oh.”_

“About the Championships.”

_“Double uh-oh.”_

Victor would honestly prefer seeing Bede right now, and that guy was a Class A pompous douche. At least with Bede he knew what the guy was about. Hop, on the other hand…

The train abruptly jostled into life with a deep rumbling of the engine and the rhythmic clattering of its wheels on the track. It started making its way out of Wyndon, snow pattering down against the windows, and Victor took this opportunity to focus on the world outside in an attempt to avoid talking about the effects the outcome of the Championship’s semi-finals would have on his and Hop’s friendship. Feigning interest in the outside world wasn’t gonna prove to be much use to Victor, however, since Galar’s usually-picturesque landscape was obscured by a heavy white blizzard.

“So, Vic,” Hop started talking, sounding tepid. “I’ve been thinking about our battle in the stadium an awful lot today. I mean, how could I not? I totally got my butt handed to me on a silver platter, after all!” Hop laughed, but it was clearly a forced one; it made Victor’s heart clench with guilt. But he still tried to avoid his problems by staring intensely out the window, even though the rational side of his brain screamed at him to show Hop the common decency of at least looking at him when he was expressing his pain.

“I was so deadset on beatin’ you today that I actually forgot that you were the reason I had pushed myself to get stronger,” Hop continued. “Seeing you just sweepin’ the other Gym Leaders made me think that I could do the same, if I tried hard enough. I suppose I let all those dreams get to my ‘ead in the end, though.

“Hop, I-”

“I just wanted to say that I don’t hold anything against you, Vic,” Hop cut Victor off, sounding a little emotional. “This’ll...This’ll make me stronger, yeah. Yeah. And when I do get stronger, what’s stoppin’ me from challenging you again next year, huh?”

Victor gnawed at his lip, and it took all his willpower to finally turn his head to look at Hop. His friend was staring down at a Pokeball he held in his trembling hand, and though there was a smile on his face, Victor’s heart broke at the sight of his quivering lip and golden eyes brimming with tears.

“I-I could do it!” Hop squeaked out, voice now just barely on the edge of breaking down into hysterics. “And when I do complete the Gym Challenge again, I’ll take you on! You AND Lee! You’ll both see how strong I could be!”

Victor couldn’t take it anymore. He threw his arms around Hop and pulled him in for a tight hug. He’d never hugged Hop before, but interlocking his heavy, tired arms around his friend felt right, like a puzzle piece being slid into place. Victor pressed his hot face into the cold fur of Hop’s jacket collar, praying that he wouldn’t start tearing up too.

“I’m so sorry, Hop, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” Victor murmured. He hugged his best friend as closely and as tightly as he could, willing for Hop to just know that he really didn’t mean to make his friend feel so badly about losing.

Hop’s arms remained by his sides, but his shoulders heaved up and down as he fought back the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks and into Victor’s hair.

Try as he might, there was no way Hop could convince Victor that everything was fine. The kid was on the verge of bawling, after all.

Somewhere along their journey, Victor had forgot that they were just kids. Not just he and Hop, either - Marnie, too, as well as Gloria and even Bede. Victor could say in confidence that their collective ideals of chasing fame in the form of completing the Gym Tournament and then taking the place of Galar’s Champion had driven them to abandon the reality that they were all just kids in a world much too big and much too scary for them to really comprehend.

The limelight had seemed so enticing and glorious just a few short weeks ago, but now, all Victor wanted was to go back home and feel like himself again, not like the celebrity being paraded around on telly all over Galar.

That idea had caused Victor to disregard Hop’s feelings when it came to losing, and he hated himself for it.

“I know you did your best, and I’m so so proud of you for doing so, Hop,” Victor whispered, comfortingly rubbing his friend’s back. “I truly am. I know you’ll do better next time, and even if you don’t, I’ll still be just as proud of you then as I am now.”

Hop’s sobs were now just coming out in short, heaving gasps, and his trembling hands clasped around Victor too, finally reciprocate the embrace.

The two boys huddled there for a long while.

Hop’s sobs were dying down, and Victor was still whispering kind and empowering things to his friend. He’d truly never been so proud of anybody before, and that was rich, coming from the newest Champion of Galar.

The train rattled onwards along the tracks, breaking out of the heavy blizzard and into the rolling plains of the vast Wild Area that encompassed most of Galar. A golden-orange blaze permeated the air and shone into the nearly-vacant train carriage, which was enough of a reason for the two boys to finally separate. Victor’s hands lingered on Hop’s back; he wanted the embrace to last longer, to feel Hop’s warmth against his own body, but he respected his friend’s desires and settled back into his seat.

Outside, the sky overlooking the rolling hills was a blinding orange. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting radiant light across the fields. The sky darkened into a mix of swirling clouds and the approaching night sky. Outrun purples and vaporwave pinks illuminated the sky, and it was truly a majestic sight to behold.

“It’s gorgeous,” Hop croaked.

Hop’s eyes were red and watery, but he was hastily wiping away his remaining tears with the back of his sleeve. Shakily inhaling and then exhaling, Hop gave Victor a tired, but genuinely heartfelt, smile. Victor returned it.

The two boys sat there for the rest of their long, tired train ride, staring out the window as they watched the sky darken and the day finally come to a close, their hands touching in a tender way.

Hop’s fingers squeezed Victor’s.

Victor squeezed back.

**Author's Note:**

> I absolutely love Sword/Shield, and I love Hop's relationship with Victor/Gloria just as much! So I just HAD to write something for these cuties!
> 
> I picked Victor for this Fic, because:  
> 1) He and Gloria are pretty much interchangeable.  
> 2) I have a solid idea of what their personalities are (headcanons, people!).  
> 3) We all need a little more gay in our lives, don't we?
> 
> Since Hop was really bummed about not completing the Championships in-game, I decided to use that to write how the Gym Tournament effects the young trainers that participate in it, by making them feel like they're not as worthy as they initially thought just because they couldn't beat all the Gym leaders in one go or get to take on the Champion. Think of it like "Dance Moms", but with superpowered animals instead lol
> 
> As for Victor, I deliberately wrote him to be a little less than emotionally available at the best of times. He doesn't like indulging in his own feelings all too often, since he thinks that isn't what makes a good Pokemon trainer. But little does he know, but being in-tune with one's emotions is much more beneficial than squandering them down and pretending as though they're not even there!
> 
> Well, that's basically the end of my notes!  
> Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end! I really do appreciate you taking the time out of your day to read my FanFic! As always, kudos, comments and the like are very much appreciated!


End file.
